Chanticleer: A PleasureGarden—Spring 2024

By FCGN member Jeff Schuetz

Chanticleer was the second of six gardens my wife Nita Beck and I visited during our trip to Philadelphia in the spring of 2024. (35 acres; paid admission; registration required due to limited parking; chanticleergarden.org)

Chanticleer is perhaps our favorite garden ever! (This was our third time visiting.) It beautifully combines big ideas and small details, wonderful design, fabulous plantsmanship, whimsy and humor, and great variety, all with a sense of cohesion. There are grand vistas, formal elegance, quiet interludes, sun and shade—something for everyone. Very imaginative with incredible attention to detail. For example, the Ruin Garden is a folly, built to look like the ruins of a home, with a granite reflecting pool in the form of a grand dining room table and a library with stone carved books.

In contrast to Stoneleigh, Chanticleer has approximately 20 full-time horticultural staff members with great freedom in the garden design and execution each year, including woodworking, metalwork, and stonework in the off season. The result is a vibrant, creative experience that changes every year. A must-see! Allow plenty of time to savor it all.